Notah finally wins NB3 Challenge

Notah finally breaks through with win in own charity event

By Chris WagnerFor five years, Notah Begay III has planned, hosted and played in his NB3 Foundation Challenge at Turning Stone’s Atunyote Golf Club. And for the first four years, he wound up as a winner for his foundation but without a trophy for his golf.

With a closing 8-footer for birdie on Wednesday, Begay, long plagued by back problems, finally earned one of the Native American victory vases that he helps select each year. And it was cause for celebration.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” said Begay, who teamed with longtime friend Tiger Woods to beat K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang in one of three “East Meets West” challenge matches. “I always thought one of these would look great on my mantle.”

Begay had much to do with winning his and Woods’ match, rolling in five birdies to four for Woods. It produced a best-ball score of 9-under 63–the lowest round of the day and enough to hold off Choi and Yang’s collective 65.

That result gave the West–or American–team the decisive point in its 2½ to ½ victory over the East–or Asian–squad in a charity exhibition that raised $500,000 for Begay’s work in battling Type II diabetes among Native American children.Comment:  For more on the subject, see 4th NB3 Challenge and 3rd NB3 Challenge Raises $1.25 Million.

Below:  "Notah Begay gives Tiger Woods a hug after mistakingly picking up Tigers mark on the 9th hole in the NB3 Foundation Challenge at Atunyote Golf Club at Turning Stone, Aug. 29, 2012." (Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard)